As its name might suggest, mythology has always served as the foundation for The Legend of Zelda. Throughout its history, its songs of champions found many forms across the Hyrulean ages, from the sunken legacy of Wind Waker to the existential hum of a slumbering Wind Fish in Link’s Awakening.

With Breath of the Wild, Nintendo challenges the player to rebuild the mythology of the series through play and, in doing so, finds a new retelling of the song that enraptured so many players when the original Legend of Zelda was released over thirty years ago. Does the latest Zelda truly reveal new territory for open-world designs to explore? Or does it incorporate newfound traditions of contemporary design to redefine its own place in gaming history?

We’ll meet to explore the mountainous horizons of this venerable series on Thursday, September 7th at 8:30pm EDT / 5:30pm PDT on voice chat over Skype.

Supplemental material:

• “‘Breath of the Wild’ is the Zelda Adventure I’ve Always Wanted” by Austin Walker (Waypoint).
• “How will The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild change the open-world paradigm?” by Oliver Milne (gamesindustry.biz)
• “‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ Review” by Jed Pressgrove (Slant Magazine)